abbot
noun
a man who is the head or superior, usually elected, of a monastery.
abbot
1 American
[ab-uht]
/ ˈæb ət /
noun
Abbot
2
American
[ab-uht]
/ ˈæb ət /
noun
-
Charles Greeley, 1872–1973, U.S. astrophysicist.
-
Also Abbott a first name.
abbot
British
/ ˈæbət /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abbot
First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of abbat, from Latin abbāt- (stem of abbās ), from Greek, from Aramaic abbā; replacing Middle English, Old English abbod (compare Old High German abbat ), from Late Latin abbād- for abbāt-; cf. Abba 1 ( def. )
Explanation
An abbot is the head of a monastery. Just as businesses have bosses and teams have coaches, the monastery has an abbot. The word abbot comes from the Greek abbas, which means "father” as a title with honor. An abbot is the superior of a monastery, the father of the fathers — in other words. Other monks must obey the abbot, and the abbot should lead and inspire all the monks.
Vocabulary lists containing abbot
Name That Job: Occupational Last Names
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"People are facing many economic hardships," said the abbot, U Thudassa.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
“I am looking forward to the silence finally stopping, because 54 years of silence is a long time,” said Bishop Kassianos of Aravissos, the abbot of the seminary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
But she goes over the head of her adversarial abbot, Cuno, and convinces the Pope that her visions are the voice of God.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
St Beuno, a seventh century abbot, was said to be so grateful to a curlew for rescuing his prayer book after it fell into the sea that he asked for all curlews to be protected.
From BBC • Aug. 3, 2024
He wasn’t sure whether, as a Jew, he was allowed to refer to the abbot as “father”—either in his religion or theirs—but he figured it was safest to do whatever William did.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
